As long as the list of London hotels is, there aren’t that many that come with a proper pool, and between space restrictions and historic buildings, it’s not that easy to just add one in. The solution? Dig down, which is what Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park did to accommodate a new 17-meter (56 foot) twin-lane, stainless-steel pool, fitness centre and changing areas.

Like we’ve seen at Piccadilly, the busy streets of Knightsbridge give little away of what lies underneath. As you step into the marble-filled lobby of the hotel, take the stairs on the left towards the spa, where down the long corridor, the elevator can now take you a level further into the ground, provided you have a guest key to activate it (or have one of the limited and rather expensive memberships). Rather than having the hotel above you, it’s the palatial apartments of One Hyde Park, the Candy & Candy development that arrived a few years ago amid much publicity and more than a little bit of controversy as the symbol of what real estate in the city has come to.

If you are ever in need of inspiration for a memorable way to treat yourself or a loved one, our Fantasy Friday archives are fast becoming a treasure trove of hotel extravagance, from a small but pricey cupcake to the understandably much more substantial world’s most expensive suite.

Today’s dream contender comes courtesy of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, where a cool £14,500 (roughly $22,000) will get you a stay in the hotel’s Royal Suite as well as fancy jewelry and personalized perfume.

The holiday season is in full swing with tree lighting ceremonies and decorations popping up everywhere. Last week, the folks at London's Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park have decked the halls with more than boughs of holly featuring a holiday inspired package. The luxury hotel has gone all out with a partnership in more than decorations with the city's legendary department store, Harrods.

The festive decor was unveiled this week and we applaud them for waiting after Thanksgiving to the delight of both children and adults. A contemporary clay color scheme with pops of red and cream with help from poinsettias and custom, handmade baubles will get guests in the holiday spirit. Of course there's a Christmas tree and it dons Nordic-esque decorations and will act as the centerpiece for all holiday activities.

The youngest guests will think they stepped into Santa's workshop with a Confectionery Tree inspired by the Toy Kingdom located just down the block at Harrods. With VIP tickets to meet Father Christmas at the Harrods Christmas Grotto, the kiddies will be in toy heaven. The young-ones will also receive a 2012 Harrods Bear and delicious chocolates from the store's artisan sweet shop, Papabubble. The entire family will have to opportunity to see the kitchen and watch the chocolate being made in perfect 'Wonka' fashion.

Many a Heston Blumenthal groupie was unceremoniously shot down this spring when attempting to make a reservation at Dinner, his new restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. Among foodies, Blumenthal is the iconic equivalent to Madonna, and an "in" to his newest splashy culinary concert (i.e. a reservation) is impossible to come by, at least through July of this year.

The package takes place over five days over the wedding, from 26th April - 1st May, and boasts "access all areas". Well for a start, it's not really access all areas, because you won't get anywhere near the wedding. But we digress.

As well as your room, you get a guided itinerary with visits to Kensington Palace, Chartwell (Sir Winston Churchill‘s family home in Kent), Spencer House, Althorp (Diana's family pad in Northamptonshire) and Westminster Abbey. All these, let us remind you before you hear the price, are places that are open to the public - although, obviously, you won't be able to hit up the Abbey on April 29. But then, neither will you be able to do that with the package - you get a tour the following day, when, presumably, it'll be open to everyone again.

Of course, this isn't totally without merit for royal watchers: since most of these places are selling out working with the MO on this package, you get extras, such as a "greeting" from a random member of the Churchill family and lunch at their home, drinks at Kensington Palace, dinner at Spencer House and a lunch at Althorp hosted by a member of the Spencer family (let's hope it's the charming Earl Spencer, who is the master of making money off his sister's memory).

And, here's the kicker: on the Thursday, the night before the wedding:

Dinner will take place at the home of a member of the royal family at their private London townhouse.

Um, we're guessing most important members of the Royals have better things to do than whore themselves out to rich tourists the night before the wedding. But then, poor Fergie has been a bit cash strapped of late, and she's been NFI-d from the wedding, so you never know.

Heston Blumenthal’s new restaurant Dinner has already been named “best new restaurant in the world”, by restaurant critic Giles Coren, in The Times. London’s most eagerly awaited restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park only opened its doors last week but it's already fully booked until the end of May.

Not surprising as the reviewers and bloggers have waisted no time gushing over the medieval menu which features Meat Fruit - a chicken liver dish shaped like a plastic mandarin, Powdered Duck, Spiced Pigeon and Tipsy Cake, a "spit-roast pineapple" (ooh-err).
To see the full menu, head over to the restaurant's website. Yes, a lot of it sounds pretty gross, but then, so did most of his molecular gastronomy stuff that we tried at the Fat Duck (his flagship restaurant in Bray, Berkshire), and it was nothing less than amazeballs. Plus, there’s always chips for those who like to play it safe.

These days, it seems not only the hotels are delaying their opening dates, even the hotel restaurants are at it. But how could we get mad when the delay involves something as quirky as medieval fare?

It turns out Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has pushed back its opening by two months. The restaurant simply named Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was set to open on December 1st but has now announced it not open until January 29, 2011. Oh but wait until it does.

For the rest of the week, we'll be focusing on the latest news out of Londontowne. Got a hotel we should check out or know of any tawdry London hotel scoop? Or better yet, got the skinny on where all the WAGs hang out? Tip us off.

This month sees the opening of yet another fancy suite in London--the prestigious Royal Suite at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park following an extensive renovation by RPW Interior Design. Already this summer, 51 Buckingham Gate, The Claridge's and The Langham unveiled recent renovations of their suites. But hey, there's always room for more (and Russian billionaires to book these suites, right?)

The new royal suite at Mandarin Oriental has been expanded by 242 square meters and includes a master bedroom with walk in wardrobe and bathroom, separate living room, dining room, kitchen, private bar and two additional bedrooms.

It’s coming! Bar Boulud was set to open in Spring 2010 and, amazingly, it appears to be pretty much on schedule – Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park have just announced the big day will be in May. Not sure which day yet, but we’re hoping it’s sooner rather than later (FYI, people, late May would definitely not be classed as spring).

According to the hotel, it will have

French techniques applied to the finest ingredients will deliver a full bistro menu that will focus on wines from the Burgundy and Rhône Valley with an impressive selection available both by the glass and by the bottle.

Fancy a quick stop at Harrod's department store in London for a little shopping? Well, if you're on your way there by walking or by taking the Tube to the Kensington stop, you'll run smack dab into the stately Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, as we did recently.

It's located in a beautiful and somewhat imposing historical structure right on Knightsbridge, and in case you're in any doubt that this is the Mandarin Oriental, note the Hong Kong flag flying alongside the Union Jack and Mandarin Oriental fan logo. Plus there'll be a line up on the curb of limos and private cars.

The above photo that we snapped of the hotel entrance is a happy accident with the whoosh of a double-decker London bus and black London cab passing through, and we think it perfectly captures the spirit of the district and what it's like to be actually standing there, waiting for the traffic to subside so you can dash across and enter into the luxurious hotel.

Hey Daniel Boulud, have you never heard of Gordon Ramsay? Or of over-reaching yourself?
Not content with dominating most of North America, he’s going to be crossing over the pond and gracing London with his presence in the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

Bar Boulud London will basically be a rip-off take on his New York Bar Boulud, and promises to “bring into play French techniques applied to the finest ingredients.” So pâtés, terrines, cheese and charcuterie with lots of wine. Yum.

The decor sounds interesting – there’s a wine theme, so vaulted ceilings and lots of wood and cork – and Boulud promises to combine ”New York’s energy and spirit, French soul and tradition, and a touch of London style.” Just a touch? Whatever.

When temperatures finally drop and tourist head into London's Hyde Park water bottle-free, where is the best place to cuddle up with a cup of tea and revel in the sweet end of summer? If you say the window seat of your hotel suite, you'd be correct, but we'd also accept the answer of the Jo Malone Teatime at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.

Available only in September in both their Park Restaurant and Park Terrace (pictured above), the Jo Malone tea celebrates the release of the Vanilla and Anise Cologne from the famous and very chic perfumery. The menu inspired by the frangrance has got us salivating like we never expected something perfume-related would; expect "Honey and Vanilla Glazed Madeleines, Clementine and Vanilla Fairy Cakes, Black Fig with Wildflower Honey and Mascarpone Mousse and Wild Fennel Scented Apple Tartelettes."